


two sides to every story

by udagawa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, M/M, happy iwa day, idk what else to tag this, iwaizumi's stupid and sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:33:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24627064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/udagawa/pseuds/udagawa
Summary: “I have a theory.”“Pray tell.”“You’re scared.” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, but Ushijima didn’t falter. “Because volleyball, and all of us that play it, remind you of him, and you’re not willing to admit it.”“You can say his name. It’s not taboo, or anything.” Iwaizumi took a seat opposite Ushijima.“You miss Oikawa. You miss volleyball, because you miss Oikawa. To you, volleyball is nothing without Oikawa.”
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 8
Kudos: 37





	two sides to every story

**Author's Note:**

> for niki 
> 
> happy iwa day, best friend day & soulmate day! i love u loads <3

According to his watch, it was 6:32pm. Which meant that Ushijima, for the first time in his life, was late.

It wasn’t like Iwaizumi wanted to be here on a Friday night. That’s not to say he had grand plans either — he was just hoping to go home, finish up some homework, and then maybe watch a movie. Still, it seemed considerably nicer than loitering outside of the college’s volleyball court, pointedly avoiding the sympathetic gaze of the janitor, who probably thought he’d been stood up, or something.

 _It’s not like that_ , he wanted to say, but he didn’t, knowing he didn’t have an answer to the alternate question: _What are you here for, then?_

“Oh, Hajime-chan? What a delightful surprise!” A voice laughed, breaking him out of his thoughts, and Iwaizumi looked up to be met with a burst of red hair.

“Tendou,” Iwaizumi responded, nodding, with a tight smile on his face. “It’s good to see you, though I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

“You want me to stop calling my dear Hajime-chan, ‘Hajime-chan’? And here I was, thinking we were best friends.” Tendou pouted, dramatically sighing. Noticing the way Iwaizumi’s frown deepened, he laughed. “That little face of yours really is the best, isn’t it? But, enough of that. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I asked to see him.” Another voice cut in, nodding at Iwaizumi. “Would you mind giving us a second?”

“Oh? Do Ushiwaka-chan and Hajime-chan have some sort of secret without me?” Tendou raised an eyebrow, a strangely feline smirk spreading across his face.

“Go ahead and save us a table at the cafeteria. We’ll be there in five minutes or so.” Ushijima shoved a bill into Tendou’s hand. “Get me a water, please. Iwaizumi, will you be getting anything?”

Iwaizumi shook his head. “I ate before coming.”

“Okay,” Ushijima said, passing the redhead another bill. “Get him a coffee, black. No sugars.”

“What? I just said —“

Ushijima blinked. ”That _is_ what you like, right?”

“Well, yeah, but —“

“But nothing. Consider it my treat. Shall we get going?” Iwaizumi sighed, watching Tendou wink and walk away. He considered protesting again, but figured he could get home faster if he just complied.

“Fine.” He said, sticking his hands into his pockets. “What did you want?”

“You haven’t come to practice recently,” Ushijima said, by way of question, crossing his arms. Iwaizumi looked down at his feet. “Why is that?”

“Busy.” The shorter boy replied, shrugging. Ushijima raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t buy that. You’re freakishly perceptive.”

Ushijima frowned. “I’m assuming that’s a compliment.”

“Either way, it doesn’t really matter, does it?” Iwaizumi shrugged, lazily following the path of a stray ant with his eyes. “I’m only backup.”

“So?” Ushijima retorted. “Every member is valuable to our team, or else they wouldn’t make it in. You, especially, Iwaizumi — you’re strong.”

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “Did you practice that line in the mirror this morning?”

“The team’s first years are holding a sleepover at Tendou and I’s apartment this weekend. Considering most of us came from different high schools, we figured it would be a good chance to bond, or something.”

“Or something,” Iwaizumi repeated softly under his breath. He sighed, finally looking up to meet Ushijima’s gaze. “So? Why are you telling me this?”

“This is an invitation. Apologies if that was unclear.” Ushijima cleared his throat, and let his arms fall to his sides. “We’d like you to come, as a fellow first year.”

“Pass,” Iwaizumi shook his head, frowning. “I barely even show up to practice, and even then I just help out with cleanup, mostly. But you guys have fun. If that’s all you had to say, then I’ll be —“

“You’ve been distancing yourself.” Ushijima interrupted, and Iwaizumi’s voice died out. “Why is that?”

There was a beat of silence, before Iwaizumi forced a dry laugh. “Like I said, freakishly perceptive.”

Ushijima narrowed his eyes. “It would mean a lot if you showed up tonight, Iwaizumi.”

“Freakishly perceptive _and_ insistent.” Iwaizumi ran a hand through his hair, considering. “Fine. I’ll go.”

At that, Ushijima’s expression brightened, if only slightly. “I’m glad to hear it. And I’m sure Tendou and the rest of the first years will be, too.”

“Yeah? That’s nice of them.”

“We’ve missed seeing you.” Ushijima said, and there was an unreadable look on his face that made Iwaizumi’s skin crawl. “Hopefully, this sleepover will bring about some change in you.”

Iwaizumi cleated his throat, avoiding the other’s eyes. “We shouldn’t keep Tendou waiting. It’s rude.”

“You’re right. Let’s go.” Ushijima said, and he was walking away even before Iwaizumi could think to respond. But it didn’t matter, because he didn’t know what he would’ve said, anyway.

“I don’t know what you guys were expecting,” Tendou looked around the circle, his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. “It’s a sleepover, right? This is what happens at sleepovers.”

At that, Semi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, when you’re 12.”

“I must admit, I’m surprised too, Tendou.” Ushijima cut in, a frown evident on his face. “I assumed that we would be doing something more volleyball related, given that our common ground _is_ volleyball, after all.”

Konoha winced. “Seriously?”

“Maybe discussing tactics, or planning practices.” Ushijima shrugged and leaned back. “Though this is fine too, I suppose.”

“No, it’s not. This is stupid.” Semi deadpanned, pointedly ignoring the glare thrown in his direction.

“That’s enough.” The boys looked behind them to see Yaku walk into the room, a bowl of popcorn in his hand. Placing it in the middle of the circle, the setter resumed his seat. “Let Tendou have this one. Once we’re done with his activity, we can move on to something else.”

Iwaizumi smirked. “Ever the mediator.”

“It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.” Yaku sighed, but there was a shadow of a smile on his face.

“So, rules.” Tendou brought his hands together suddenly, the sound forcing the attention back onto him. “It’s a pretty straightforward game, but for those of you who’ve never played — _Ushijima_ — I’ll explain it once. Truth or dare — that’s the question you’ll be asked. If you pick truth, you answer the question the challenger gives you honestly. Dare, you do the dare the challenger gives you. Once you’ve done what the challenger asks you, you can ask someone else. No backing out, no changing your mind, and if you’re unable to complete a dare, then you drink.”

“We’re underage, Tendou.” Ushijima raised an eyebrow.

Tendou laughed. “It’s not a fun sleepover unless you’ve broken at least _some_ rules, no?”

“I’ll start,” Konoha grinned, scanning the room. Finally, his eyes settled on Semi. “Semi. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Are you a virgin?” At that, the boys burst into laughter, while Ushijima blushed a bright red and Semi shot Konoha a furious glare. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You know the rules.”

Semi pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. “No, I’m not. And you can’t ask who — you only get one question.”

“Buzzkill.” Konoha mumbled, but he let it drop.

“My turn, right? Yaku. Truth or dare?”

All eyes turned to Yaku, who frowned. “Dare. I’m not telling you guys anything.”

“Okay, eat a banana from between Ushijima’s feet.”

Just as before, the room burst into laughter, with Tendou’s shrill giggle being the loudest of them all. Yaku’s whines of _Wait, I meant truth!_ were quickly drowned out by the cheers of his teammates, and Iwaizumi grinned as he watched Semi pass a banana to his former team captain.

“Semi, don’t you think this is going a little too far?” Ushijima asked as Semi arranged his feet in place and put the banana between them.

He shot the other boy a crooked grin. “Absolutely not. Hey, make sure you eat the whole thing, okay?”

Yaku’s glare sent chills down Iwaizumi’s spine. “You’re going to hell for this.”

“Sure. Now do it.” A tense silence engulfed the room as Yaku stepped forward, taking a deep breath. Iwaizumi could almost hear six hearts pounding in unison as Yaku closed his eyes, clenched his hands into fists, leaning forward, and then —

“Oh my God, he's actually doing it.” Konoha muttered in amazement.

“Seriously,” Tendou added, smirking. “I’ll never underestimate Yaku-chan again.”

“Not to mention Semi. You’re terrifying.” Iwaizumi admitted, and the team indulged in scattered laughter as Semi pointedly winked back at the other boy.

“Part of my charm.”

“There,” Yaku finally said, swallowing. He shuddered, then made a face like he was going to throw up. The boys all shuffled back in unison. “Fuck you, Semi.”

“Later. It’s your turn now.” Semi grinned, relaxing a bit, and Yaku rolled his eyes.

“Ushijima.” The setter announced, causing the wing spiker to raise an eyebrow. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” he said, and Tendou rolled his eyes, mumbling a _boring_.

“If you had to date someone in the room, who would it be?”

Ushijima blinked. “I’m not gay.”

“That’s why I said if you _had_ to.” Yaku smirked. “Answer already, we’re waiting.”

“Hold on, this is a difficult question. There’s so much to consider, after all.” Ushijima sighed, exasperated. Iwaizumi tried not to laugh at the sight of Ushijima’s brows furrowing as he digested the seemingly intense question that Yaku had posed.

“Do you always think this hard about everything?” Iwaizumi laughed, and Ushijima raised an eyebrow, confused. “Nevermind. You got an answer?”

“Yes.” The room was silent. If a pin had dropped then, it'd have been deafening. “Tendou.”

“ _Nice_ ,” Tendou held out his hand for a high five, which Ushijima, as confused as he was, returned.

“How come?” Yaku asked, reaching for the popcorn.

“I asked myself what I would look for in a partner, and the first thing I could think of was strength.” Ushijima briefly glanced at Tendou, then back at the rest of his team. “After that, it became obvious. Tendou is the strongest out of all of you, for sure.”

Konoha forced out a laugh, eyes narrowing. “You ever heard of tact?” He asked through gritted teeth.

Ushijima shrugged. “I have. I just prefer honesty. Now, it’s my turn, correct?”

“Yes, _babe_.” Tendou giggled, causing Iwaizumi to roll his eyes and Semi to faux retch. Yaku smirked. “Alright, who are you asking?”

“Iwaizumi.” The suddenness of the response caught Iwaizumi off guard, but he put his glass down anyway, anticipating Ushijima’s next works. “Truth or dare?”

“Hm, you’re the only one here with any semblance of a moral compass, so dare, I guess.” Iwaizumi grinned, ducking as Semi threw a handful of popcorn at his head.

“I dare you to tell me who you miss the most.”

“What the hell,” Semi raised an eyebrow. “that’s not how dares work.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Ushijima briefly glanced at Semi, before turning back to Iwaizumi. “Answer it.”

At that, the energy in the room changed, transforming into something heavy that Iwaizumi couldn’t quite name. He could distantly hear Semi complain to the other boys about how Ushijima _really has no idea what fun means, does he?_ but he felt like they were a million miles away. Ushijima’s steel gaze kept him in place, and he couldn’t run if he wanted to.

He wanted to.

“What a stupid question,” he finally bit out, forcing a laugh that sounded fake even to his own ears. “My mom, obviously.”

“Iwaizumi’s a mommy’s boy? Lame.” Konoha grinned, wincing when Yaku smacked him upside the head.

“Tendou.” Ushijima suddenly said, eyes still on Iwaizumi. “You said the player must be honest when answering a question, correct?”

Tendou paused, a popcorn-filled hand en route to his mouth. “Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“So, be honest, then.” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, frowning. Ushijima’s expression remained stoic as ever.

“I was being honest. I miss my mom.” Iwaizumi shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Don’t you?”

“This is boring. Semi,” Konoha suddenly announced, standing up and stretching. “I’m going to buy more drinks. You coming?”

“Sure,” Semi slid his phone into his pocket and stood up as well. “I want pretzels.”

“Wait, me too.” Yaku added, standing as well. He glanced over at the popcorn bowl, and then at Iwaizumi — almost as if he knew something the other boy didn’t. “We’re almost out of popcorn, too.”

“Cool. Tendou?” Konoha asked, by way of invitation.

Tendou narrowed his eyes and smiled. “I’m good. You guys have fun.”

Semi and Yaku shared an exasperated glance before the former turned back to Tendou. “They’re selling a new flavour of potato chips.”

“So?”

“You love potato chips.” Yaku answered, crossing his arms. His shorter stature often worked to his disadvantage, but Iwaizumi felt a chill go down his spine when Yaku raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you?”

There was a tense few moments of silence where Tendou and Yaku eyed each other, (with Konoha smirking at something on his phone and Semi just staring into space) before Tendou sighed and lifted a hand up. “You know me well, Yaku-chan! Help me up?”

“You’re like a child,” Yaku scoffed, but did as the other asked. He then turned his attention to the pair still seated. “You guys need anything?”

“We’re alright, thank you.” Ushijima answered for the both of them. Iwaizumi managed a feeble nod, feeling like a student staying behind to get yelled at by a teacher — though, he wasn’t sure what exactly he had done wrong in the first place.

“Okay, then. Be back in a bit.” Semi nodded, with Konoha offering a small wave behind them, and then Iwaizumi heard a quiet _click_ before the apartment was silent.

“It’s not your mother,” Ushijima said, finally looking away. He was now staring at the wall behind Iwaizumi instead. “Who is it?”

“It’s just a game, Ushijima. Drop it.” Iwaizumi picked up the popcorn bowl and got up, heading towards the kitchen.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Ushijima watched Iwaizumi throw the leftover kernels in the trash before placing the bowl on the kitchen island. “At least, not until you’re honest.”

“You can’t prove that.”

“Right. But _he_ can.” At that, Iwaizumi’s head whipped around, a sharp pain in his neck forming due to the speed of the action. Ushijima’s expression softened.

“He — how —? Wait, I —“

“I didn’t even say a name, but you already have one in mind, don’t you?” Iwaizumi opened his mouth to defend himself, but realised it was pointless. “He talks about you, sometimes.”

“Yeah.” And he hated the way his voice felt like sandpaper against his throat, but he kept going. “He never shuts up, does he?”

“I don’t mind it, really. In fact, sometimes, I encourage it.” Ushijima looked away and cleared his throat, taking a seat at the kitchen counter. “I find out more about you through him.”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened in surprise instinctively. “You could always just ask me, you know.”

“What are the chances you’ll actually answer?” The wing spiker went quiet at that. Ushijima sighed. “I have a theory.”

“Pray tell.”

“You’re scared.” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, but Ushijima didn’t falter. “Because volleyball, and all of us that play it, remind you of him, and you’re not willing to admit it.”

“You can say his name. It’s not taboo, or anything.” Iwaizumi took a seat opposite Ushijima.

“You miss Oikawa. You miss volleyball, because you miss Oikawa. To you, volleyball is nothing without Oikawa.”

Iwaizumi sucked in a deep breath, before nodding. “You’re awfully confident.”

“Like I said, it’s just a theory.” Ushijima shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Only you can tell me if it’s true or not.”

There was a tense few seconds where Iwaizumi studied Ushijima. Like, really studied him — he saw the way his eyebrows were uneven, he saw the scar on his chin, the mole on his cheek.

He saw the authenticity in his eyes.

“Quit acting coy. You already know you’re right.” Iwaizumi sighed, closing his eyes and resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

He could almost hear Ushijima’s smirk. “As long as you know it too. Why don’t you call him?”

“Because.” Iwaizumi huffed.

“Because?”

“Because,” Shaking his head, Iwaizumi opened his eyes again. “This is so stupid. We were meant to go to the same college, you know? Like, we’d both applied to the same ten colleges. Exact same."

“Except for Tokyo.” Ushijima finished for him. “He applied there separately and didn’t tell you.”

“What was I meant to do?” Iwaizumi’s voice was beginning to tremble now, but he would _not_ let himself cry. “He made it obvious he didn’t want to stay on with me. Was I meant to go crawling back to him?”

“He’s studying sports science, isn’t he?” Ushijima asked, expression unreadable. “The same as you.”

At that, Iwaizumi let out a dry laugh, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I thought we’d figured it out, but — well. He obviously had different plans.“

Ushijima looked down at the kitchen counter. “So you came to Irvine.”

“I hadn’t planned to come here.” Iwaizumi’s voice was a whisper now, and his fingers were nervously drumming on the counter. “Him and I only picked this place as a joke. But once he told me, I — I knew I couldn’t be around him.”

“Still, America’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?” Ushijima asked, head tilted slightly to the side.

“I didn’t know what else to do.” He sounded pathetic, and he knew it. “I couldn’t risk running into him again.”

“Why not?”

Iwaizumi frowned. “Did you not hear anything I said? I couldn’t —“

“You’re a lot of things, Iwaizumi.” Ushijima sat up straight, crossing his arms. “You’re strong, you’re fast, you’re smart. But you’re not a coward.”

“Seriously? Did you get that off a motivational video or something?”

“I’m just saying,” Ushijima said, looking away again. “It’s not what you think.”

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this.” Iwaizumi mumbled, shaking his head. “You’re the last person I thought I’d be opening up to about this.”

“I didn’t ask to be your guys’ mediator, either.” Ushijima shrugged. “Things just happen, sometimes and — well. It’s best if we just let them.”

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Talk to Oikawa.” Ushijima sighed. He seemed older, more mature, somehow. “As I said, he talks about you a lot. A _lot._ ”

“Right.” Iwaizumi laughed a little, and his smile didn’t feel so forced this time. “Again, sorry on his behalf.”

“And again, I don’t mind.” Ushijima returned a soft smile, one that caught Iwaizumi off guard. “People often talk about the people they love. It’s natural.”

“You don’t mean —“

“Which is why,” Ushijima continued without a hitch, getting to his feet. “It’s alright if you wanna talk about him sometimes, too. It’s always nice to see two sides to a story, especially one as intriguing as yours and his.”

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes, staring at his hands. “I don’t — I don’t love him.”

Ushijima said nothing at first, simply looking Iwaizumi up and down. He wasn’t so childish as to raise an eyebrow, or say _is that so?_ , but he did fix Iwaizumi with a look that conveyed everything across perfectly. “They've been out a while.” He said instead, pulling out his phone. “I should go check on them.”

“Okay.” Iwaizumi watched as the other man typed a few words into it, before feeling a soft buzz in his pocket.

“That’s him.” Ushijima explained. “Just in case you wanted to make good use of your time. Tendou wanders.”

“Oh, right.” Iwaizumi nodded, then crossed his arms. He watched Ushijima head to the door. “Hey. Thanks, by the way. You didn’t have to do all this.”

Ushijima hesitated for only a second, before turning to flash Iwaizumi another cryptic smile. “I’d like to see this story through to the end.”

_Hey, it’s Iw — Iwa-chan. I almost introduced myself as Iwaizumi, isn’t that embarrassing? I may not have spoken to you for a good year or so, but even still I'm not naive enough to think you’ve finally let go of that childish nickname._

_Or have you? Truth is, I’ve missed out on a lot of you since high school ended — I’ve missed you. Can’t believe stupid Ushijima was the one to make me realise that, or that you were even talking to him in the first place, but oh well. He got me here, didn’t he? I’ll have to thank him later._

_Crap, I’m rambling. Oikawa, I miss you. I miss your stupid face, your annoying voice, your ugly hair. Your lame alien sweaters, your mountain of hair products, your intense skincare routine. The way you laughed, the way you talked about beating Shiratorizawa, the way you talked about — well, the way you talked about us, and the future._

_When you left, I was scared. I thought I didn’t know you anymore, that you’d somehow become a stranger in the seconds I’d let you out of my sight. And, honestly? I don’t really think I'm all that wrong with that assumption. You’re someone I don’t recognise anymore, in a world and life completely estranged from mine._

_But I’m not a coward. I’m a lot of things, apparently, but not a coward. That’s always been your role, hasn’t it? If you’ve become someone I can’t recognise, then that’s fine. I’ll just have to learn all about this new Oikawa all over again._

_Does this new Oikawa still get scared during thunderstorms? Does he still pretend to watch crime documentaries when really, he’s watching some stupid rom-com? Do his hugs feel like the universe crammed into a single gesture, or do his touches no longer linger on anyone’s skin like he’s set them on fire?_

_Oh, I’m running low on battery. Oikawa, I’m sorry I ran away from you — from us. I'm sorry I forced you to be the mature one, that I made you realise your feelings when all the while I was running away from mine. But I’m here now, aren’t I? Well, over the phone away. And maybe that’s not enough to make up for everything, or maybe it is. That part’s up to you._

_Someone once told me that there are two sides to every story. I hope you’ll listen to mine, and that I can hear yours, so that our stories can be the same again._

_Whatever you choose, I’ll be waiting for you, the way I always have. I — love you, Tooru. I think I always have._

“Hey, Iwa-chan, is that really you?”

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: kanziaki
> 
> thank u for reading! comments & kudos r appreciated <3


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